CHAPTER 34 - CHINA
Chantal and David spent several days flying and then doing the detective work necessary to find Brother Francis. Through the kindness of several Chinese people they made it to the doctor's office where their beloved friend lay hovering between heaven and earth. His weakened condition was a perfect breeding ground for infection. Everything that could possibly be done was being done. Chantal and David wondered about moving Brother Francis to a larger and more Western Hospital several hours away, but were fearful that the trip might kill him. The Chinese doctor was very humble and very honest. "Please do whatever you think best. He is your beloved friend but my advice is to let him be."
David Gold used his detective skills when he spoke with Mei Li’s father-in-law. The man responded to David's unspoken implication that he had anything to do with Brother Francis being shot with an explanation. He told David that he was walking in the opposite direction from Brother Francis when he heard the shot. Having spoken with the monk gave him a lot to think about. He saw a goodness in him that made him question his own bitter attitude. He was reflecting on all of this when he heard the shot which he first took to be that from a hunter, like the one that felled his own son.
Maybe, maybe not, David thought.
Chantal felt like she was being watched as she examined the area where Brother Francis met a bullet. It was a long time since her Girl Scout days but the skills that she learned had survived the years. She heard a twig snap in a way that was inconsistent with the rest of the sounds around her. She turned swiftly and stared at the area she thought the sound came from. She was sure there was someone in khakis hiding in the foliage. She made believe that she didn’t suspect anything and continued running her fingers through the earth looking for whatever she could find. This time there were a considerable amount of twigs cracking and she turned to see her dear husband take a flying leap onto the man in khaki.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? You don't look like you're from around here," said the detective to a Western woman in her mid-twenties.
"Neither do yous two."
"We know the people here and have permission to be here. What about you?"
The young woman began to run but Chantal blocked her path and the interloper wound up tumbling to the ground over the clinician’s back.
They bound the hands of the girl and walked her toward Mr. Chen’s house. They didn't want to upset the children by taking him to Mei Li’s house.
The father-in-law recognized the hatred on the face of the young woman. "I have been like you for most of my life. Believe me, woman, it's not worth it."
"How would you know? You're probably not even Catholic."